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Automation Integration · head to head

Activiti vs jBPM

Activiti logo

Activiti

Automation Integration

Apache 2.0 BPMN engine under Hyland, from which Flowable and Camunda were forked

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
jBPM logo

jBPM

Automation Integration

Long-running Java BPMN engine, now developed inside Apache KIE with commercial support from IBM

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Activiti the last stable release was 8.2.0 in January 2024, and while release candidate builds continue, a two-year gap between stable versions is a real risk signal for a production dependency.; jBPM the project moved to the Apache Software Foundation as Apache KIE and is still in incubation, which is a weaker governance signal than a vendor-owned product and a harder case to make to an architecture board.
  • They diverge on capability: Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, jBPM covers BPMN 2.0 execution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activiti and jBPM actually diverge.

Attributes where Activiti and jBPM differ
AttributeActivitijBPM

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), free tier (Yes), platforms (Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automation Integration).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Activiti

  • BPMN 2.0 engine
  • Activiti Cloud
  • Modeler
  • Java and REST APIs
  • Pluggable persistence
  • Identity integration

Only in jBPM

  • BPMN 2.0 execution
  • Drools integration
  • Human task service
  • Kogito compilation
  • Process designer
  • Timers and signals
  • REST and Java APIs
  • Case management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Activiti

  • An Alfresco or Hyland content services deployment where Activiti is already the embedded workflow enginenot jBPM
  • A Java application that needs to embed a BPMN engine as a library under a permissive licencenot jBPM
  • An organisation that has ruled out Camunda 8 on licence grounds and needs an Apache 2.0 alternativenot jBPM
  • Document-centric approval workflows where the process engine sits inside the content management stack rather than beside itnot jBPM

jBPM

  • A Java organisation already running jBPM 7 that needs to decide between the Apache KIE line, Kogito or migration awaynot Activiti
  • A team that wants BPMN processes and Drools business rules executing in one runtime without integrating two productsnot Activiti
  • A government or banking system with long-running processes needing durable timers and full audit history at no licence costnot Activiti
  • A Quarkus estate adopting Kogito to run compiled processes with container-appropriate startup timesnot Activiti

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Activiti

  • The last stable release was 8.2.0 in January 2024, and while release candidate builds continue, a two-year gap between stable versions is a real risk signal for a production dependency.
  • Both Camunda and Flowable forked away and took large parts of the contributor base with them, so the community, tutorials and third-party tooling around Activiti are much thinner than around either fork.
  • Commercial support is only realistically available by buying Hyland Alfresco subscriptions, so there is no way to pay for Activiti support on its own.
  • Activiti Cloud imposes a distributed architecture of several Spring Boot services plus Keycloak, which is heavy for teams who simply wanted an embeddable engine.
  • Documentation is dated and partly split between old Alfresco sites and Hyland Connect, and the transition between Activiti 6, 7 and 8 architectures makes much of the older material actively misleading.

jBPM

  • The project moved to the Apache Software Foundation as Apache KIE and is still in incubation, which is a weaker governance signal than a vendor-owned product and a harder case to make to an architecture board.
  • The classic jBPM 7.x line has not had a Red Hat-sponsored release since 2023, so staying on it means running effectively frozen software while the development happens under a different name.
  • Kogito is architecturally different from the classic runtime, using ahead-of-time compilation, so moving forward is a migration project rather than a version upgrade.
  • Commercial support has shifted to IBM Business Automation Manager Open Editions, which means renegotiating with a different vendor under different terms than Red Hat customers signed.
  • The tooling and workbench have long been the weakest part, and organisations routinely build their own process administration interfaces because the shipped ones are dated.

Pricing, plan by plan

Activiti

Free
  • ActivitiFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence
    • Embeddable Java library or Activiti Cloud services
    • No usage limits

jBPM

Free
  • jBPMFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence with no usage restrictions
    • Full BPMN engine, human tasks and Drools integration
    • Community support via Apache KIE mailing lists

Which should you pick?

Choose Activiti if

  • You need bpmn 2.0 engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want activiti cloud.
Activiti review

Choose jBPM if

  • You need bpmn 2.0 execution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want drools integration.
jBPM review

Questions people ask

Is Activiti or jBPM better?
Neither clearly leads. Activiti starts at Free and jBPM at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activiti or jBPM?
Activiti starts at Free and jBPM at Free.
Does Activiti or jBPM run on more platforms?
Both run on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Activiti for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Activiti best used for?
Activiti is most often used for an alfresco or hyland content services deployment where activiti is already the embedded workflow engine, a java application that needs to embed a bpmn engine as a library under a permissive licence, an organisation that has ruled out camunda 8 on licence grounds and needs an apache 2.0 alternative, document-centric approval workflows where the process engine sits inside the content management stack rather than beside it. Of those, an alfresco or hyland content services deployment where activiti is already the embedded workflow engine and a java application that needs to embed a bpmn engine as a library under a permissive licence are not what jBPM is typically brought in for.
What can Activiti do that jBPM cannot?
Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Activiti Cloud, Modeler, Java and REST APIs. jBPM covers BPMN 2.0 execution, Drools integration, Human task service, Kogito compilation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Activiti: Is Activiti still maintained?

Yes, Hyland continues to publish builds, but the last stable release was 8.2.0 in January 2024.

jBPM: Is jBPM dead?

No. Development continues as part of Apache KIE, with releases through 2025, but the Red Hat-sponsored 7.x line has been static since 2023.

Activiti: What is its relationship to Camunda and Flowable?

Both are forks of Activiti: Camunda in 2013 and Flowable in 2016, when core developers left Alfresco.

jBPM: Who provides commercial support?

IBM, through Business Automation Manager Open Editions, following the transition away from Red Hat Process Automation Manager as a growth product.

Activiti: What licence is it?

Apache 2.0, which distinguishes it from Camunda 8’s source-available licence.

jBPM: What is Kogito?

The cloud-native successor that compiles processes ahead of time for Quarkus and Spring Boot, architecturally different from the classic jBPM runtime.

Activiti: Should I choose Activiti for a new project?

Only if the Apache licence or an existing Alfresco deployment is decisive. Flowable and Camunda have far larger ecosystems.

jBPM: Does it cost anything?

No. It is Apache 2.0 licensed with no fee. Costs are support contracts and the engineering effort to run it.

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